MattPie

At least make any Bills threads OT, since it is.

Against the Jets again, so Santas Elves running around the field.

I'm curious what mechanism Trump is going use to cut lobbying interests? I can't think of a way; he can't pass laws, and even if he did hasn't the Supreme Court ruled in essence that money is free speech? If I remember my school, they only way to override the Supreme Court is a Constitutional Amendment. I don't see that happening. I'd be amused if he tried to do it by Executive Order, though. I'm interested in the other thing you mentioned about Texas and part-time politicians. It seems like that would be very susceptible to companies or other interests hiring people "part-time" that happen to be elected officials and paying them with no clear job duties (other than advocate for whatever their employer wants). Anyone have more info on this I could read up on?

If only I could pull up that post I made years ago (probably around the last lockout) about how the NHL was going to a system where after a goal was scored the goaltender and scoring player had to have an MMA-style fight to decide if the goal counted. (Context: something about "changing things up to bring in a new audience but close enough to before so the old timers wouldn't get upset")

I'm trying to think of others. Vatican City is all I'm coming up with.

I actually knew that one. I understand being mad at the government (some how this is OK, just as long as you play along and stand for the anthem), but why would you want someone who doesn't know what they're doing? We don't ask for the mechanic that doesn't know how cars work. We don't go to concerts where the performers don't know how to sing (unless it's a punk show). I understand wanting someone who is not part of the "the machine", but Trump doesn't seem to understand what the machine can or can't do.

I was rushed last night, but I'll clarify: I don't have an issue with people flying the Confederate Flag (even if I think they're morons for doing it), that's their right. What I disagree with is trying to draw parallels to Kapernick's protest. Maybe I'm clouded by my bias, but it seems like the Patriotic Correctness brigade grasping at straws to justify their anger at someone expressing their views because they disagree with them.

While both have a free speech angle, they're not in the same league. On one side, you have a person protesting issues with the society that is symbolized by the flag. On the other, you have the symbol of a movement to preserve the legal institution of subjugating other human beings.

I said screw work (on my day off and vacation) for an hour today and got beef and wings from Bar Bill. I'm working again now though, so the fantastic was short-lived.

You buying the beer? :) (I remember sitting at a bar one night and for some reason I started drawing states in relation to a story. By time I got done, I think I had everything east of the Mississippi done. It wasn't perfect, but it wasn't terrible either. I can name all the states and almost all the capitals without visual aids. I spend a lot of time looking at maps for fun.)

If they can be re-purposed into creating electricity, you're sitting on a growth industry.

I didn't immediately know the name when it came up. After a little more context, I deduced that it's the city where Islamic State is destroying stuff which I did read about previously.

Raise a Gose for the Goose.

Backup GT indeed.

From what I understand, those countries hate each other.

Now I get the hoop training. Hanging out of the rafters upside-down sniping people is bad-ass.

I'm already over 40 hours working this week. On my vacation in Buffalo.

I really wish I agreed with more of Johnson's policies. It's quite the conundrum, vote for someone who is somewhat more slimy than the average politician but shares your views on a number of things or vote from someone who's of average sliminess but shares far fewer views.

I like Bulleit and Dad's Hat, but I'm no expert.

One perspective on the outlawing of pot in the 1930s was that it was pushed by the alcohol industry. You don't sell as much booze if you can get high from the field behind your house.

Last I looked, Android didn't have a way to start at the beginning while the game was on, but my PS3 did. I like NHL.tv but in a lot of ways it is amateur hour.

College freshman would have been 3 at the time, so they might remember it as just an image or something. Most kids' brains usually prune a bunch of stuff around the age of 3 and somewhat start fresh, so this would be the last class that will have any memory of the actual event.

Considering how much of the NHL revenue stream cable networks make up (NBC (US$200M per year) and Rogers (CDN$500M per year)), that's not going to happen any time soon.

It's gotten better this last year in terms of stability, but the platform lost some features (like replays cut out all the commercials and intermissions). The quality is just under actual 1080 HD. The motion isn't quite as smooth and it's not quite as clear, but it's worlds better than the SD games I was getting on Center Ice.

If you have a fairly connected house, I can't imagine a rationale for getting Center Ice over NHL.tv. If you have broadband internet, and some way to play on a TV (instead of your phone or computer), it seems to be the decision is easy. (cheap TV solution if you don't have a PS3, xbox, etc: Google Chromecast; $35 streams NHL pretty well). Actually, the one argument for Center Ice is when you get the feed in HD, it probably is a little better quality than streaming. I'm not sure that's true with the new streaming platform though.